2014

At Streams Church we believe that the Church should be a light to the world and what better way than to help someone else this Holiday season. On November 23 & 30 we gave every family a $50 gift to use and bless another person, family, or ministry. It is an excellent opportunity to pray together as a family and ask God for direction.

Below are some of the amazing stories we received from the families at Streams Church, who followed the Holy Spirit'scalling to bless others in our community.

Videos

From Recipients:

“God is good!! I've been struggling so much lately with finances. I don't have money to do a Birthday party for the kids or even Christmas. Today my cousin from Streams called me and says, "I need to see you," so we meet up. He says, “Can we pray?” So we did and he handed me an envelope that his church gave out to the members and told them to give it to someone that deserves a blessing; and he chose me. The envelope had a $50 bill. I just started crying. I told him $50 to me right now is like $200 to someone else! Now my babies can have a few gifts for Christmas and some warm clothes.”

I started attending Streams Church 4 years ago. God is so good; He knew what He was doing when I walked into that church on El Mirage Road. The families in the church opened their hearts to me, they did not reject me even when they found out that I was going to prison for 4.5 years. Well I am still here in prison, and have 8 months left; and praise be to God for you all. I not only have hope; I’ve seen who Christ is through you all. God has provided all my needs through you all. And I mean all my needs. Your prayers, letters, visits and funds. Your recent gift of $50.00 has allowed me to buy toiletries, mail supplies and some extra treats like coffee. Thank you all for showing me how to love like Jesus. This place has been such a blessing; crazy huh? Prison a blessing? I thank God for this time. It has strengthened my relationship with my savior Jesus Christ.I hope and pray with all my heart that you all have a HAPPY, HEALTHY and BLESSED CHRISTMAS and NEW YEAR!

Stories from our congregation:

"I used my $50. to bless the gal that cuts my hair. Several times she has brought up that she was not raised with parents that went to church. The only times she might go was with a girlfriend when she was young. She would ask me once in awhile about my faith and did I go to church. I decided that she would be the one I would give the money to. So I got a bible, bulletin, and took the info to the shop where she was working. I told her I believe that the Holy Spirit has been speaking to her and she said she thought so too. I was surprised but glad to hear her say that. Then gave her the $50. She was so surprised and tears sprung forth. She is married and has 2 little boys. I keep praying that she will find her way to Streams. It is a wonderful church with young families that I felt they would feel comfortable in attending."

"After receiving the $50 on the Sunday morning before Thanksgiving, we gathered with our extended family for an early Thanksgiving dinner. Many of our family members wanted to get on board and help with whatever we decided to do. After praying and discussing the possibilities, we decided to put together blessings bags for the homeless. We used the $50 to buy gloves and bottled water. Family members donated small rolled blankets, toothbrushes & toothpaste, snacks, wet wipes, and $5 McDonald gift certificates. We put together 50 two-gallon gift bags and, on the Saturday before Christmas, took them to an area downtown where we found many homeless men and women. Several told us how needed the blankets are this time of year. Others were in tears, overwhelmed by the blessing. They were thrilled about the McDonalds gift cards. We were able to bless them and give the bags in the name of Jesus and Streams Church."

“We prayed together and then both heard K-Love radio station advertise about the Hope Ministry. This is to get children off the street who live in Detroit for a month with a $50.00 donation. When I came home I told him about it and that if we did it now the money would be doubled. So our $50.00 donation was then turned into a $100.00 gift. Thank you for the chance to see how God works when we just ask.”

“We know a family whose adult daughter is severely mentally ill. She has been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. She has moved in with her parents as her group home was not able to care for her medical needs. The expenses are astronomical. We matched your contribution and donated it to them. God's timing is perfect. Thank you for the spirit of this gift!”

"We make a full thanksgiving meal for 400 people, donate brand new socks, new blankets and ask for donations from everyone we know to dig through their closet. And this year we were able to buy more blankets and socks with the $50.00 because our little group has grown over the years. "What a BLESSING!"

“On 12/1 I received an email from a colleague that a teacher at her school suffered a massive stroke on Thanksgiving Day. She is married with a 2 year old daughter. She is paralyzed on one side and will have to learn everything all over again. She has a long recovery but the doctors are optimistic that she will make it through. We have decided to help the family by getting gift cards from various places to eat so her husband can focus on spending time with his wife in the hospital and time with his little girl. Thank you Streams for allowing our family to bless another family.”

“Followed what I believe was the Holy Spirit's prompting to tip the man washing my car.”

“We helped a single mother of five that has no heat in her home. We purchased warm pajamas and were able to get jacket donations as well. We also bought her some groceries. “

“Gave to Phoenix Rescue Mission. They serve 3 meals a day to the hungry, homeless, and provide counseling to those with drug addictions and mental challenges. After completing recovery they can be trained to be a counselor too if they wish to continue paying forward and helping others.”

“I was speaking to an agent who works for me who is a single mom. She was talking about how she had broken her glasses and their phone had been disconnected. My son and I decided to bless her. At work, I took her aside, and said that I had received money from my church, to use to help someone else, and we had decided to help her. She broke down in tears and gave me a big hug. This was such a blessing, not just to her, but for us as well.”

“We donated $25 to UMOM New Day Center for their Children & Youth programs. We also donated $25 to A New Leaf's Faith House shelter.”

“We had a caregiver/housekeeper from Guatemala. Recently her husband left the family causing her and her 3 girls to move to a shelter.. When we heard of her situation we couldn't think of a better way to spend the gift from Streams. When we gave her the money she broke down in tears. We explained that God had given us the greatest gift through His son, and we in turn wanted to give to others. She will likely spend the money on clothes and food for her children as part of their Christmas. She was very grateful. Thanks for the opportunity to share in this effort. The response we got from her and her kids has made this one of the best Christmas seasons ever for us."

“I was going into Kohl s and was approached by a young gal to donate Phoenix Restoration Church for recovering drug addicts. She shared her testimony with us. She has a son but had to give him up and hopes to see him one day. I shared with her who we were and we wanted to donate to them. We held hands and she prayed for me and shared about her family. We prayed prayed for her and her church and family.”

“I have a co-worker who's 13-year old daughter had a stroke severely limiting the use of her right side, as well as limiting her ability to speak. I donated the $50 to her medical fund. She is doing better: out of her coma, learning to walk, eat and speak again. She is a believer and it is amazing to see God work through her recovery.”

“A close friend of our family recently lost his job after 17 years. He has been able to get full time work again, but at a much lower pay rate than he was at before. He recently talked to me about trying to purchase Christmas presents for his kids but wasn’t sure if he could. We invited him over one night and explained what our church was doing and handed him the $50. Without hesitation he accepted the money and gave each of us a big hug. I know he is a Christian, but the events that have happened to him over the past few years have left a lot of doubt in his heart. We pray this gift has helped rekindle the fire in his heart and provided a bit of hope for him. Thank you for allowing us to be able to bless our dear friend."

“My daughter got an International Rescue Committee packet. It's a charity that supports refugees from countries such as Somalia, Iraq, Democratic Republic of Congo, Cuba, and Afghanistan. We are going to apply the $50 plus more to help a 32 year old man from Cuba.”

“My husband had a parent hand him a gift as a thank you for teaching her son. That parent also happens to be a colleague. A couple of days later, an email came in from another staff member sharing how she had her house broken into several days prior, and the school was collecting donations to help replace what had been stolen, including the children's Christmas presents. It was put on our hearts to match the $50, so we did. When we handed her the envelope and explained what Streams was encouraging us to do, she just started crying, thankful. We are thankful for her to have shown us Jesus, as she still gave, even after losing so much.”

“We went to St Joseph's hospital on Tuesday the 16th, praying that God would lead us to a family or person we could bless there. We made our way to the intensive care unit waiting room where we met a liaison between Doctors and families waiting on word about their loved ones. We told her why we were there , and about the giving project at Steams Church. She started to cry gently and explained to us how God had led her to her position at the hospital, and how many people with limited resources she comes into contact with daily. She immediately began assisting us towards different family's but insisted it was our decision. Almost immediately we were drawn to a family of five adults who looked tired and drawn as if they had been waiting throughout the night and well into this day. We approached them and spoke with the mother who advised us her adult son was in critical condition. At the mention of her son she began to weep. We asked if they would allow us to bless them by paying for the family's lunch in the Cafeteria and praying for Joel. Some of them cried out right, and all of them hugged us and thanked us over and over. They were so thankful and humble. We both left drying our tears and praising God for them... all of our lives were blessed by 50 dollars.”

"A past co-worker that I have reconnected with via Facebook, found out a few months ago she has skin cancer. She has 5 children, is married, but she cannot work at this time & one of her children is disabled. She has been taking a chemo-type drug for the cancer, which has made her very sick. I was wishing I could help her & her family out in some way, but our own finances are very tight. When Streams Church blessed us with this awesome $50 challenge, she immediately came to mind. My husband & kids all agreed. I then talked to a friend in common with this person and she also decided to put in $50 of her own money. We presented it to her, along with some baked goods & oranges from my friends tree. We were all brought to tears. I told her the story of how Streams Church provided this opportunity. She said we have no idea how much this means to her. Thank you, Streams Church for allowing us to bless someone in this manner.”

“We ourselves are so blessed to be part of this church! As my husband and I held on to the green envelope for days and discussed who needed to be blessed we could not come up with anyone. I visit a group home twice a week and once in a while I see a caregiver that works there part time who always has a smile on her face. She is the most caring, compassionate person to all the patients in the group home regardless of what she is going through! Last week I learned from her that she is struggling at home, health and financially and she is scheduled to have major neck surgery on 12/23. As I listened to her it broke my heart...as I handed her the envelope she teared up.”

“Using the $50 dollars from Streams plus our own contributions to pay for 50 meals at the Phoenix Rescue Mission :).‬”

“On September 4,2014 my cousin and his fiance's life were forever changed. Their baby boy came into the world way too soon. He was a fighter though! For 17 days he fought for his life. Sadly he was called home to be with God. His mom began making baskets for the families that were basically living in the NICU. I am amazed by this woman. She is giving back to those families even though her family is struggling. I knew what I had to do with my $50. I am giving it to her so she can make more baskets to give to the families that need them.”

"My wife and daughters were out shopping and ran into a family that had been visiting their relative in the hospital. They were attempting to return home but did not have enough money to make it back. We gave them $50 to put towards gas to help them return home."

"I work at Fry's Marketplace in Buckeye. When I told the manager what my church was doing, he donated a Fry's $25 gift card. And peanut butter was on sale! So, along with my employee discount, we were able to score 34 jars of peanut butter and 16 jars of jelly. We delivered it to the Agua Fria Food Bank today. They said, "God bless you!" And we say, God bless Streams!"

“When I received the $50.00, I began asking Holy Spirit how I should use it. I thought that I should purchase two $25.00 grocery store gift cards and then look for someone in the store that seemed to need help, but I couldn't seem to move on this. Then, the name of a woman with whom I exercise on a fairly regular basis came to mind. We had shared our life stories on several occasions, consequently, I knew that she had a variety of needs herself and in her family. She had asked me to pray for her daughter who was having health problems before. I prepared an outer envelope on which I wrote Isaiah 43:10 along with Streams Church information. I put the #50DollarChallenge envelope inside that. When I handed her the envelope after an exercise class I only said that I had something for her. She took the envelope smiled and walked away. She sat down to see what was inside. She came back to me, choking back tears, and thanked me. She said that she thought I was inviting her to church, at which point I did. I told her that there were no strings attached, but that I would love to meet her at church. I haven't seen her yet, but I know that her daughter recently had surgery and perhaps that is why she hasn't come. I'm still praying that she will attend a service and, perhaps, make Streams her home.”

“When I heard of the challenge a man came to my mind. In our mind one might think this is an unusual choice because this man is separated from his family due to his destructive decisions in his life. Moreover, his family reaped much pain by his choices. This man had been out of work for 4 months and had just got a job making half of what he is used too. His first check (the week he was given the 50 dollars) was for 100 dollars. This man asked Jesus to be his Lord and Savior 3 months ago. I talked to my husband about what I believed God had put on my heart and he agreed we were to give him the 50 dollars and more. The day I saw the man he was saying he does not know how he was going to pay rent or buy his children Christmas gifts this year and I shared with him what Streams was doing and my husband and I believe we were to give him this money. He was very grateful! And said thank you several times.”

"I had been waiting and praying for an opportunity to come along and it was getting closer and closer to Christmas with nothing happening. BUT God had a plan. A good friend of my mom had mentioned there was a lady she knew who has been raising her grandson, surviving only on her welfare checks. At times it was so hard they couldn't even afford toilet paper. So we decided as a family to go to Costco and get as much stuff for them as possible. All of this was done anonymously and my moms friend delivered it all to her door. She was in complete shock and broke down crying a few times. Her grandson had so much fun unloading everything and when he spotted the Oreos–his Christmas had been made. Thank you Streams for allowing us the opportunity to really bless someone this Christmas season and bring joy to not only their family, but ours as well."

Our daughter felt lead to pick up two angels from her school’s Angel Tree. So we used about half the money to purchase presents for the two angels, (girls ages 8 to 11), but we didn’t actually use the fifty dollar bill. About a week later, I received an email from a co-worker stating one of her friend’s had her home broken into and all presents stolen. We felt this was who God wanted us to bless, so I told my co-worker of the $50.00 challenge. We gave them the fifty dollar bill, still in the envelope, and still delivered the Angel Tree gifts. God has blessed us this year and we are thankful to have the ability to bless others.

I'd been waiting to hear from the Lord about how to use the money. On Christmas Eve, my little family of three went to a local restaurant. On our way in, I felt the Holy Spirit, say "tonight." The server walked up to our table, and asked how we were doing. I told him we were well and asked how he was doing even though he had to work on Christmas Eve. He said he was doing "pretty good. I have some toys in the garage to put together when I get home, though." I asked how many children he has. Seven.... Seven, and he's working on Christmas Eve until 9 p.m. I knew then that this was the divine appointment God had been orchestrating. At the end of the meal, I shared with him about Streams and the $50 dollar challenge and asked if we could pray for his family and share our blessing with him. He was speechless. Tears came to his eyes, he kept saying thank you, over and over.... Then, my son, home on leave, wanted to treat us to dinner and paid the bill. He tipped the server another $50 saying, "I know I haven't been home, but I need to do my $50 challenge, too, and this was the time to do it." Thank you Streams, for being the hands of feet of Christ in our community.

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At Streams Church we strive to be a relationship based, missional focused, community of faith serving the West Valley. People from Glendale, Litchfield Park, Surprise, Peoria, Goodyear, Avondale, Buckeye, El Mirage, and beyond call us home. Take a look around and see who we are and how you can become a part of our family.